October 2020
Jocelyn Ajami, a painter and filmmaker for over twenty years and founder of Gypsy Heart Productions, was interviewed by Poets & Patrons. As an artist with a global perspective, Jocelyn has been the recipient of numerous awards, including major grants from the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, The Leadership Foundation, International Women's Forum, and the Goethe Institute. She turned to writing poetry in 2014 and has been published in several anthologies of prize winning poems, including Encore (2018) in which her poem, Un Deseo, won the Founders Award/first prize, from the National Federation of State Poetry Societies.
When did you begin writing poetry?
I had been a painter for over twenty years with no real interest in poetry. I started writing in 2014 even though I didn’t think of it as poetry, just words to share. Read more ⟶
Un Deseo, (A Wish)
by Jocelyn Ajami
Find me
In the hollow of your hand, clutching
fallen dreams
In the salt of your tears, burnishing
the wounds of old Seville
Read more ⟶
2020 Chicagoland Poetry & International Sonnet Contests
Wilda Morris © 2017
Poets & Patrons is a not-for-profit
organization dedicated to
supporting poetry development
in the Chicagoland area.
Introduction
Wilda Morris © 2017
Poets & Patrons was founded in 1954. It is dedicated to supporting poetry development in the Chicagoland area. It does this through sponsoring and hosting congenial, professional workshops at The Harold Washington Library; running an annual Chicagoland Poetry Contest with modest cash awards for multiple categories; facilitating free writing workshops at area museums and outdoor venues (Write! Chicago); and an annual Awards Ceremony. Poets & Patrons is an excellent vehicle for defining your work, meeting with other fine poets for unique critiques, and exploring with others the power of well-crafted verse.
We meet in workshops four times a year and have started a series of meetings called Write! Chicago, where poets gather in a specific Chicago location and write afterwards. The workshops are designed to increase skill in writing both traditional and non-traditional poetry. We also sponsor 2 contests each year. Please see our Contest page for more information.
Unless otherwise noted, the workshops will be in room 6-N on the third floor of the Harold Washington Library, 400 S. State Street, Chicago, Illinois.
Poets & Patrons evolved from a common desire to promote a meeting ground for poets and poet enthusiasts in the Chicago area. Learn more ⟶